Examination of Witnesses (Questions 60-69)
COUNCILLOR CHLOE
LAMBERT, MR
PATRICK CROWLEY,
MR PHILIP
KOLVIN AND
MR JEFFREY
LEIB
31 OCTOBER 2005
Q60 Anne Main: Following Councillor
Lambert's observation on tourism, do you feel, looking at tourism
and the way it develops in some city centres, that there should
be a greater ability for the local council to be able to decide
policies which are suitable for tourist areas?
Councillor Lambert: Yes.
Q61 Anne Main: So you have more flexibility?
Councillor Lambert: We do have
a certain degree of flexibility here, because I hope all local
authorities have drawn up their own licensing policy statements,
policy documents. When those policy documents were drawn up, they
actually probably, and I include myself in that, were not aware
of the vast realm of things that you have to consider when trying
to increase accountability and to bring licensing more into the
democratic arena. To my mind that was what the Licensing Act was
supposed to do: make us all think more about it in terms of safer
communities.
Q62 Anne Main: Do you think it did?
Councillor Lambert: I think to
a certain degree it has, but it still comes back to local determination
at the lowest local level and that means the local member not
being disqualified from talking about a licensing application
from a publican in her own village, which has happened to me.
Q63 Chair: Councillor Lambert, you
are also here representing the Local Government Association.
Councillor Lambert: Absolutely.
Q64 Chair: May I ask what the LGA
is doing to make sure that councils and councillors are aware
of the additional powers they are actually given under this legislation
to manage the small number of establishments which are responsible
for the largest difficulties, that is the ones selling alcohol
to people who are already drunk, for example. Are you doing training
programmes for councillors?
Councillor Lambert: We certainly
are; I have chaired many of them and so have my colleagues from
Westminster.
Q65 Chair: I hope you will concentrate
on using the powers that are there to the utmost.
Councillor Lambert: We do, but
it comes down to local evidence again.
Q66 Anne Main: Do you think you have
enough powers? Has this Act given you enough power, or do you
feel it has in some way limited your power?
Councillor Lambert: I think it
has potential for increasing our power; we just need to draw back
and review it. I am very glad that we are able to give evidence
to you here today, because I have seen the angst which has been
caused most of all, if I may say so, to members of the public
who do not understand what is going on.
Q67 Mr Betts: What is the LGA going
to do in terms of its self-review and how local authorities have
performed? Are you going to do a review and then maybe issue some
advice yourselves?
Councillor Lambert: Yes.
Q68 Mr Betts: And draw out examples
of good practice and give those to other authorities which may
not have been quite so good.
Councillor Lambert: We do that
already and have been doing so for quite a long time, even before
the Licensing Act took effect. I know that our member authorities
have run umpteen training courses; I know because I have been
on them. I know from evidence already submitted by the LGA that
that is precisely what local authorities do and are faced with,
but it all comes back to limited resources, over-stretched resources.
Q69 Chair: You will be aware of the
other evidence put forward to this Committee, not just verbally
but written evidence which is on the website. Clearly from the
trade's point of view a very strong message is coming through
that there is a great variability between local authorities and
a need for those poorly performing authorities to learn from the
better performers.
Councillor Lambert: Absolutely.
It is all part of the improvement agenda which the LGA is all
about.
Chair: Indeed. Thank you all very much.
We are now moving on to the Ministers. Thank you.
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